Professional Welders Competition

Professional Welders Competition

McCormick Place, Chicago, IL

Give It a Try

For a $15 entry fee, you could win the grand prize at the Professional Welders Competition, sponsored by the American Welding Society. In addition to the $2,500 grand prize, a $1,000 second prize and a $500 third prize will be awarded. The top 12 competitors will win an AWS duffel bag.

Competition Winners

1st Place
Jeremy Hall, Willmar MN
Ridgewater College

2nd Place
Andrew Cardin, Cleveland OH
Lincoln Electric Co.

3rd Place
Isaac Carrion, Austin TX
Welding Repair Services, Inc.

Mark Mertes, Carson IA

Mike Koeneke, La Crosse WI

Jeff Joos, East Peoria IL

Cody Sarsland, Willmar MN

Keith Cusey, Aiken SC

Patrick Hannigan, Frankfort IL

Angel Orea, Corsicana TX

Giuseppe Grimaudo, Peotone IL

George Rolla, Lake Elsinore CA

Who Should Compete?

You should compete if you’re proficient in creating a single pass fillet weld on low carbon steel. Welders in construction, pipeline and manufacturing industries and practitioners of skilled trades in the construction or heavy-equipment industries—union and non-union alike—are welcome.

The Welding Procedure

Contestants will receive the pre-tacked joint and booth designation. The time clock will begin. The materials needed to complete the project will already be on each table, as well as the chipping hammer and brush. Upon final completion, including cleaning of the specimen, the contestant will alert the booth attendant so the judge can stop the clock. If the contestant uses all of the time allotted, the machine will automatically turn off at 5 minutes. The contestant must then step out of the booth.

Judging

A panel of certified welding inspectors (CWI) will evaluate all weldments to the current AWS D1.1 based on weld size and overall appearance. Additional NDE may be performed at the discretion of the judges. Speed will also be taken into consideration on final judging. Judges will pick the top 20 and a Laser Profiler will place the top 12. It is acknowledged that the weldment may or may not comply with AWS welding codes. The prescribed weldment has been designed to test the welder’s skills and knowledge of the welding process.

To Enter the Competition

You may register online for the competition until November 3rd, 2017. Once online registration concludes, those wishing to participate must register at the Professional Welders Competition booth on the FABTECH show floor. Registration will occur during the show floor hours on Monday and Tuesday.

Competition Piece

Competitors will have five minutes to complete their project. The drawings for this year's competition will not be released prior to the competition.

To compete, you must:

Be at least 18 years of age

Sign a form stating you are a professional welder

Pay a $15 entry fee per entry

Registration and Rules

Competition Criteria

Be at least 18 years old – ID Required

Sign a form stating that you are a professional welder

Pay a $15 entry fee

Competition

Safety will be followed to the current version of the ANSI Z49.1 Safety in Welding and Allied Processes.***UNSAFE PRACTICE WILL GET YOU DISQUALIFIED.***

Competitors will create a single-pass fillet weld.

The weld is to be done within a time limit of 5 minutes.

Material will be low carbon steel

Electrical parameters will be determined by each competitor as suitable.

Judging Criteria

A panel of certified welding inspectors (CWI) will evaluate all weldments to the current AWS D1.1 based on weld size and overall appearance. Additional NDE may be performed at the discretion of the judges. Speed will also be taken into consideration on final judging. Judges will pick the top 20 and a Laser Profiler will place the top 12. It is acknowledged that the weldment may or may not comply with AWS welding codes. The prescribed weldment has been designed to test the welder’s skills and knowledge of the welding process.

Cash and Prizes

The first-place winner will receive a $2,500 prize

The second-place winner will receive a $1,000 prize

The third-place winner will receive a $500 prize

Each of the top 12 welders will receive an AWS bag with vendor donations

Each of the top 12 welders will receive an official AWS Education Services T-Shirt